The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-16

after this, for too. was getting excited. only
know that we kept at work until 10 o'clock and
stayed until all we're taken away"
The Railroad Commissioners this afternoon
began az investigation into the cause of the &C.
cident.
The first witness was w A. Alden, one of the
conductors on the wrecked train. He testified
that the train, when it reached the bridge, was
going at the rate OF twelve miles an hour, the
regular rate There nine cars on the
train, eight coaches and combination car, the
| combination car being in the rear. The forward
cars were very well filled; but the witness could
not say about the rear cars. In the two forward
| cars there were eighty ninety passengers.
Mr. Tlden had charge of the three middle cars
and Mr. Drake Of the three rear cars. The wit
ness was in the second car from the end at the
time of the accident
when did you notice anything out of the
way? asked the chairman.
81 did not have time to notice anything re-
piled the witness. The first thing he knew he
was sitting on the floor with the cushions of
seats all around him. There were only three or
| four persons in the car when he picked himself
| up, the others having got out OF the doors and
windows. AS soon as he recovered his senses
| somewhat he looked in the car for injured per-
| sons, but found none, in the car behind.
The car was torn into pieces being more dam
aged than his car: but nobody was in it. He did
| not 60 into the front car. The witness contin-
| ued: "Then went into the next car behind the
one was in. The two were torn apart The
| car that l went into very much wrecked.
4 l
three cars were all there were on the Boston
| side of the bridge. Then Invent down the north
side of the embankment and helped to get the
wounded and dead out"
| In reply to questions by Chairman Crocker,
the witness said he had never felt any peculiar
| motion of that bridge in going over it, had never
| felt any jar of the train as it was leaving the
| bridge, and had never told anybody that he did
| not like that bridge.
| Walter E. White, engineer of the wrecked
train, testified: Il was running twelve to fifteen
miles an hour at the time of the accident When
struck the bridge everything seemed to be all
right and strong with surging; but when
got to the Boston side l saw the forward end of
| the engine come out with jar, and the drivers
come along with shock l looked around, and
the forward car went off the track and the coup
! ling broke. l reversed tho engine and was
| about to stop. when locked back and saw the
first and second cars off the track; l continued
| to look back and saw cloud of smoke rise, and
| then knew they had gone through the bridge.
| l slowed up and had almost stopped, when hap
pened to think they needed more help; that we
two could not do much and so ran down to For
est Hills as quickly as | could and summoned
help. The first thing l felt of anything wrong
was on the abutment. l don't know that the
bridge had dropped any then. l don't know
nything about it, l the front of the engine
rise up, but have no idea how much the rise was
and felt the shock. 1 don't know if rail was
actually broken at that time. l think the
blow was the hardest the right side
of the engine, but did not notice any cantine
down. The bridge was always solid as a rock
never noticed anything wrong with it; never
thought this particular bridge not strong enough
and never felt any uneasiness about t.H Ihs
witness said he could not say for his life wha
caused the accident-whether it was broker
journal or broken wheel, or broken rail. Tht
jar seemed like when you back off table to e
into the engine house, when one rail is a littl,
above the other. He had felt the same thing ex
actly when the engine had struck broken rail
John Trip, of Dedham, head brakeman, and
Elisha G. Annis testified that they. had never
noticed any jar to the train in passing over th'
bridge, and had never known anything to be th'
matter with it.